There has already been proposed a process for washing and cleaning solids materials, especially textiles as well as suitable washing agents and detergents for carrying out the process wherein the role of phosphates as calcium complex binders has been entirely or partially replaced by finely divided, generally bound water containing water insoluble aluminum silicates which are capable of binding calcium (see German OS 2412837).
Thereby it is a matter of compounds of the general formula (I) EQU (Cat.sub.2/n O).sub.x.Me.sub.2 O.sub.3.(SiO.sub.2).sub.y (I),
in which Cat is a cation exchangeable with calcium and which has the valence n, x is a number from 0.7 to 1.5, Me is aluminum and y is a number from 0.8 to 6, preferably from 1.3 to 4.
Sodium is the preferred cation, but it can also be replaced by lithium, potassium, ammonium or magnesium.
The above defined compounds capable of binding calcium for simplicity are designated below as "aluminum silicates". This is especially true also for the preferably used sodium aluminum silicate; all of the statements made for the use according to the invention and the collective statements in regard to the production and properties accordingly are true for all of the above described.
The particularly suitable aluminum silicates for use in washing agents and detergents has a calcium binding power of preferably 50 to 200 mg CaO/g of the water free aluminum silicate. When reference is made below to water free aluminum silicate thus there is meant the condition of the aluminum silicate which is reached after drying for one hour at 800.degree. C. In this drying the adhering and the bound water are practically completely removed.
In the production of washing agents or detergents in which in addition to the customary components present in this type of agent there is also present the above defined aluminum silicate, advantageously there is started with aluminum silicates which are wet, for example from their production. Thereby the wet compounds are mixed with at least a part of the remaining components of the agent being produced and the mixture converted by known procedurs, as for example spray drying into the finished washing agent or detergent (cleaning agent) as end product, for example into a product capable of being poured.
In the framework of the precedingly sketeched process of producing washing agents or detergents the aluminum silicate is supplied or employed for example as an aqueous suspension. Thereby there is still desired certain improvements of the suspension properties, e.g. the suspension stability and the pumpability, of the aluminum silicate dispersed in the aqueous phase.
It is known to use alkylphenol ethylene oxide adducts for the formation of aluminum silicate suspensions. Preferred are adducts with 6 to 7 moles of ethylene oxide (German OS 2615698).